Bonding
by china4345
Summary: Known as the youngest Headmistress and smartest witch of her generation, Hermione is stressed. After a suggestion from her therapist, Hermione tries to figure out ways to unwind. Subconsciously, her dreams lead her towards someone out of her reach. Or at least, that's how she sees it. Warnings: Deals with BDSM, Various Kinks, and various forms of Bondage.
1. Chapter 1

"_Ruin me to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata,_

_and together, _

_we'll create a symphony."_

_The room is dimly lit. The heavy scent of sweat and something darker — desire or need, perhaps— laces the air. The warm tones of red and black lined the walls and floors along with the soothing sounds of Beethoven creating an atmosphere of calmth. Bellatrix is currently sitting in her leather chair at the head of the room. Standing not too far from her reach is the woman of her affections and the muse for her inner cravings. The candles burn without haste while casting dubious shadows along the lean and supple body. Bella notes how lovely her lover's skin looks in this lighting. The blush on her cheeks, neck, and chest giving her a very appealing glow. Sometimes, the older woman couldn't believe her luck. Who would've thought her pet had such dirty needs. _

"_Hmm, turn around" the woman rasps with appraisal and lust dripping from every word. Embarrassed whimpers left the young woman as she complies to the order given. Rising from her position in the leather chair, Bellatrix approaches the woman standing in front of her. Wine glass still clutched at the spine between sinfully long fingers, a sultry smirk graces her lips as she looks the woman up and down. "It seems like my money was well spent," brushing a wild curl off the woman's bare shoulder she continues "it suits you, pet." The young woman shudders at the husky whisper in her ear. "Nnggh!" Everything was warm and her breaths could be heard in short, soft huffs. "Th-thank you, Mistress" the young woman gasps out. Her heart is beating a mile a minute and all her nerves are on edge in anticipation for the sweet release at the end. She always enjoys the build up, her mistress always knew exactly what she needed. This moment was no different. _

_Her pet was standing in a black leather corset and matching leather thong. At the waist was a zip and fastening site for both garments. Attached at the fasteners was a small lock, which Bella charmed so that her sneaky little pet couldn't use wandless magic to undo. Around the girl's neck was a large leather buckle to match. It looked like one large pet collar, which was perfect considering there was a leash attached to one end which Bella now holds in her hand lazily with the wine glass. She was barefoot except for the leather thigh high stockings and garter belt attached to the corset. Her matching arm sleeves and the handcuffs banding her arms to her back wrapped up the entire outfit. The handcuffs were magical for the most part. Bella had them charmed prior to this scene, for many previous scenes the two already performed and so she was secure in the fact that her pet wouldn't be getting out anytime soon. Spell or no spell. Her hair was always left in its natural state, something about her wild, untamable curls added to the atmosphere. Bellatrix on the other hand kept her ensemble simple. An oversized deep green satin button up and her curls in a loose bun, she was going for the laid back but refined look, it seems. Her pet always told her that she looked thoroughly fucked with her curls in a messy bun and her nice expensive button ups crushed. _

"_Alright, enough of that" stepping away from the young woman to refill her now empty wine glass, Bellatrix continues "Now then, in position." The order was spoken lowly but rang clear enough for her pet to know what she means. Bellatrix's breath hitches briefly in her throat as she watches those delicious legs bend, taking her pet to the ground and sipped at her wine as that ever so round bottom went up in the air. Oh, how she was happy that she bought this outfit. The young woman was currently faced down, angling her butt higher for her Mistress's eyes. The handcuffs were a last minute addition to this scene, but Bella was excited to have included them now. This view was one for the books. Feeling more heat rush to her face from the exposing angle, the young woman huffed as breathing became a bit harder. If only her Mistress would touch her, relieve some of the warmth with her cool hands. "Please, Mis-mistress" A deep chuckle from the older woman caused the girl to gasp and squeeze her thighs together. _

"_Oh,no!" Bellatrix responds with false alarm, approaching the girl's butt. The room was still very hot but the young woman must be on fire now if she's begging. "Aren't you a dirty, dirty, girl? Do you have no shame?" The older woman tinkered with the handcuffs at the girl's back. She had to make sure they weren't too uncomfortable for her pet, she knew the girl would never tell her. As much as she enjoyed these moments, the last thing she wants is for her pet to be uncomfortable outside of the main objective. As she pushes down on the girl's shoulders to relieve some unnecessary tension building she says "Begging with your ass in the air like this, what if everyone at work saw?" The young woman gasps at the words, unable to stop the drool pooling on the ground where her cheek rested. The mere thought of such public humiliation sent another wave of heat through her body, settling warmly between her legs. She must be soaking by now. Bellatrix bent her knees slightly, face hovering above the woman's leather clad vagina and inhaled. "You smell amazing, kitten." _

"_Please...ha..hah— Mistress, I need, ha...nnghah!" Bellatrix laid a cold hand against the soft skin. Her pet's body was indeed on fire. Rubbing the round bottom with appreciation the woman spoke "Hmmmm, now this is what you call an ass!" A slap resounded throughout the room, the girl flinches at the unexpected abuse but continues to whimper "Let me hear you say it, kitten. How do you feel right now?" The young woman wiggles her but out of annoyance, after the spank, she wants more. Huffing out a sigh as cool hands rub the spot that it just struck, the girl closes her eyes as she feels the tips of her ears warm up "I feel— em..hah..embarrassed ha-hah, Mistress." Those cool fingers continues their torturous adventure along the girl's curves and thighs. Bellatrix laughs at the response. She knew how easily her pet got embarrassed but how much she enjoyed being spanked made it even better. "Such appetizing body, maybe I should take a taste... what do you say, kitten?" The young woman could only nod as she surrender to her senses. "But first, let me add some flavor to it" Taking the neglected wine glass in her hand, Bellatrix tips the contents over the peak of the girl's bottom and watches as the deep red liquid runs down her back and thighs. A sharp stab of arousal shoots through the woman as she observes remnants of the wine running down the split between her pet's legs. "Ah! Bella! That's co—" the sound of another slap meeting wet skin instantly quiets the young woman as Bellatrix continues to watch the fluids run their course, until all the wine was gone from the glass. "You broke our rules, pet. I am still Mistress until the ending of our scene unless stated otherwise" Bellatrix places her index finger over the leather where the girl's dripping and aching entrance would be. Pushing down as she dragged the finger down the length of the slit slowly she continues her statement, "and I don't recall stating otherwise. But don't worry, I'm gonna enjoy this punishment." The sounds of her pet's breathing increases in volume as Bella speeds up and slows down her rubbing sporadically. Her pet's juices now ran down her palm as she leans to lick some of the wine off the girl's ass. "Ahhhh! Ha—hah! Mistress...nnnghah! Please, faster Mistress!" Bellatrix knew the girl's climax was building but she refuses to let her cum. If her pet truly hated anything, it would have to be edging and orgasm denial. She knew she wouldn't be able to cum without her Mistress's hands. Grinning to the thought of her pets oncoming punishment, Bellatrix continues to lap at the wine. This was going to get fun. _

Hermione jumped awake in bed, gasping. 'Fuck. It's just another dream' The now highly aroused woman thought to herself. Frustrated, both sexually and otherwise, and threw her blanket off her sweaty body and marched into the bathroom to get ready for work. She couldn't believe it, another night, another dream, or should she say nightmare, since she always wakes up worse than when she fell asleep. Summoning her house elf, the young woman ordered herself a vegetable smoothie to go and asked for her car keys. She just needed to get through the day and make it to her therapy appointment before she could settle down for the weekend with a nice book and some wine.

At the young age of 25, Hermione Granger was Headmistress of The Wizarding School for Young Talented Witches and Wizards. Not to get mistaken for Hogwarts, her alma mater, this institution was still relatively new. It facilitated to students who had completed their time at Hogwarts and wanted to extend their education before seeking a job. We'll call it, the Wizarding equivalent to Muggle University. Graduating at 17 and then becoming an apprentice for her favorite Charms instructor, Professor McGonagall, Hermione pitched the idea for a higher education institution and was given the approval by the age of 20. The Wizarding world and those who knew her personally, expected nothing less from the young woman coined '_the brightest witch of her age' . _Many of the programs varied in study length and so graduation occurred almost every couple of seasons. Many of the students have grown to enjoy the school and with the word out, enrollments increased yearly.

From there she gathered an amazing staff and faculty committee, consisting of childhood friends, Harry and Ron. Harry taught an intensive curriculum on Defense Against the Dark Arts, while Ron focused more on the athletics portion of the school. Quidditch players enjoyed the ability to continue studying while playing their favorite sport. Alongside Harry, Draco Malfoy also taught some DADA courses but mainly focused on the History of Magical Artifacts. Luna Lovegood was head of the Divination department, Ginny was head of Charms, and Neville Longbottom pioneered Potions. Many other professors taught elective courses and occasionally guest lectures would occur for a couple of terms. Hermione always made sure to invite many different people from all walks of life to teach her students. You could never go wrong with knowing any sort of information. At one point, despite feeling uneasy about the topic, she even allowed her old Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to come and give a guest lecture on Blood Pacts and The Deathly Hallows. Hermione and her staff enjoyed what they did.

Conversely, this is where Hermione's main frustrations arose. In the form of a tall, pale, muscular but feminine body and a pair of black orbs and luscious red lips hidden under a mass of unruly black curls stood Bellatrix Black, Senior Auror, talented dueler and a gifted Occlumens. It's been a couple months now since Hermione approached the woman in hopes of her teaching a couple of courses for the next two years and ever since then, her nightmares have not let up. Yes, the woman was crazy beautiful. Wickedly talented with a wand and had brains to match Hermione, but these dreams had no reason to plague the young witch. The woman was 20 years her junior, rumored to be divorced, and the head of one of the most famous Wizarding families in all of Britain. The entire situation screamed trouble for the young witch.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Hermione grabbed the smoothie from Twinkles and the car keys heading out her door. She decided to drive to work today seeing as she couldn't think clearly enough to apparate in without any accidental detours. Been there, done that; the young woman had no intention of splinching again.

The drive to the school wasn't long, considering its location was in muggle London, it was easier for the young witch. Pulling into the parking lot behind the school, Hermione noticed the motorcycle parked in the spot next to hers. Seems someone was in early. "Just my luck" she mutters to herself as she grabbed her smoothie and approached the entrance of the school. To prevent curious muggles from wandering into the school, the immediate area was warded so that Muggles who wandered too close to the school would suddenly forget why they were walking in that area and leave. Something like an imperious curse, but squibs were not affected. Generously, Hermione had opened the door to squibs as well, even without magical ability, they deserved to be a part of their community in anyway possible and she wanted to make sure they were aware of that.

Approaching her office, Hermione noted how quiet the halls were. Usually, wherever Bellatrix was, there seemed to always be a spectacle of many proportions and none which lacked in volume. Not wanting to jinx it, the Headmistress entered her room and prepared for the day to follow. She was scheduled to hold a quarter term faculty meeting later that evening after classes and wanted to get everything else finished early to get to therapy in the late afternoon. She didn't like skipping appointments. She'd been going since she was young, the life she lead as a child prodigy had left her very lonely and she didn't really know how to deal with it. She had friends, yes, but she never really knew how to let go and breathe every once in a while. Her mind was always on and sometimes it got a bit too much for her.

A knock at the door startled the young woman. Looking up at the alarm clock, Hermione noticed that it was after 10 and was shocked at how quickly time passed by. She'd already responded to a bunch of letters and emails sent by students. Reviewed prospect applicants and sorted out the monthly budgets. There still was the preparation for the day's meeting and...and... Agitated, Hermione couldn't remember what else she had to do for the day. Another knock on the door, with more force now, brought Hermione out of her head. Wondering who it could be, Hermione granted them permission to enter. Not looking up from her work, Hermione didn't see who had entered her room and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of her desk until a pair of black combat boots appeared in her line of sight. Gritting her teeth the young Headmistress looked up and addressed her guest employee. "What can I do for you, Miss Black?" Hermione watched as the woman of her nightmares smirked that evil smirk and chuckled lightly. Her silence was clawing at Hermione's patience. She was already agitated at the fact that she's forgetting something today and now here is another nuisance to add on. "Miss Black, is there something you need of me? If not," With a shove of her hand she pushed the woman's shoes off her desk. "You can exit the same way you entered. And next time, don't put your feet on my desk." Ignoring the woman completely, Bellatrix placed her feet back to where it was. She enjoyed getting the woman riled up. She made it easy for the Black matriarch to tease her and Bellatrix took every opportunity presented. "It's after 10, aren't you forgetting something, pet?"

Eyebrows scrunched in confusion, Hermione tilted her head, trying not to get annoyed. "What makes you say that, Black?"

"Well, according to my calendar, and I hope your own, someone was to attend my lecture today. Something about needing to evaluate all courses per term, or whatever."

Bellatrix chuckled as she observed the woman's eyes grow comically wide at the realisation of her missed task. "Shit!" Hermione muttered while staring at the dark woman. That's what she was forgetting. Today was the beginning of evaluations and she was supposed to observe Bellatrix's lecture. Checking her watch for a quick time check, Hermione thought of a way to fit in the new adjustment. She'd have to observe after her appointment and really brief lunch. 'I guess another smoothie, it is' the Headmistress solemnly thought seeing as she won't have time for a proper meal. This was nothing new, but Hermione had promised her therapist that she would work on balancing her diet and work schedule. She can't have another incident like what happened a couple years ago.

"Was there a reason as to why my evaluation was neglected?" Hermione was dumbstruck by the older witch's sudden sharp tone. Sure, everyone knew how much they bickered, but Bellatrix would more than likely be joking. She can't possibly be upset over something that can be so easily remedied. "I understand that you might have your _biases_ about me, for whatever reason" Hermione tried not to wince at how the woman spat the word. "But I've been nothing but respectful, professionally. I would have expected the same from the Headmistress as well."

Now, Hermione was seriously confused. 'Why is she being so over dramatic about this?' she asked herself. Gathering her stuff to leave, Hermione stood up before addressing Bellatrix, with a sigh she said "Miss Black, my dearest apologies. It has never been my intention to make you feel disrespected here by any of my faculty or myself. My evaluations are often done on a, one lecture per day, sort of cycle and so, if you'd like" Bellatrix had not moved beyond staring at the young woman. Scanning her from the bottom up as she watched her approach. "How about I do that evaluation after my lunch, before I head out for my meeting with the Board of Chairmen?" Staring at the offered hand, Bella contemplated turning the girl down out of spite. She wasn't genuinely upset about this, she just didn't particularly enjoy people treating her like an idiot when it comes to her work. Bellatrix Black took everything faced in life seriously, and she fully expected others to do the same, if not, at most try to. The Headmistress forgetting to do her evaluation as scheduled irritated her more than she planned to admit though. She didn't like being forgotten.

"Make sure you're there this afternoon, Kitten." Hermione tried politely smiling as she felt a warm, slightly rough hand grasp her own. The woman's grip was firm and brief, the young woman had to prevent herself from thinking about her dreams. With a last glance towards the now smirking woman, still seated in front of her desk, Hermione rushed out of her office.

"Welcome back, Hermione" The young woman smiled in return to the warm smile that greeted her. Sitting while casually playing with her drink, she'd grabbed an extra large smoothie on her way to the office, Hermione thought of what she wanted to talk to Sam about. Sam, her therapist, was an older woman, squib in nature. She'd starting seeing her when she entered her final year at Hogwarts. When things had gotten way out of control for the young magical brainiac.

Waking up that morning, she did know or thought she knew, what she wanted to discuss. The idea of actually discussing it, however is a different story altogether. "Come on 'Mione, we're not doing this today. What's up, you made an appointment in the middle of the week when our next regular session time isn't until the weekend. Did something change?" Staring in to friendly brown eyes, Hermione decided to throw caution to the wind and tell her about the dreams. 'Fuck it, here we go'

"I've been having these dreams, well, no" Sipping her smoothie to help occupy her slowly panicking mind, she continued "not dreams, per say, but like these nightmares, but that doesn't describe them accurately either" She'd unconsciously taken to stirring the straw as she struggled past the overwhelming feeling of embarrassment rising. ``why is this so hard to talk about?!' Before she could realise it, Sam's across the room in a flash and has her arms wrapped around her shoulders. The therapist was concerned for the young woman. She knew about her history with dreams and how violent they could get and how unhealthy they made Hermione. Them returning was a sign for concern.

"Breathe, Hermione. The words will come to you when they're ready." Feeling the young woman nod her head, Sam continued. "So, you're having issue sleeping, again?" She paused waiting for Hermione to interject, she didn't. "When was the last time you went out? Been on any nice, fun, or weird dates lately? What about friends, do you still have those?" Sam had pulled back and shot Hermione a look filled with amusement so she knew that she wasn't trying to hurt her feelings or anything. Squeezing her shoulder, Sam rose and went back to her computer typing in some notes from the session.

"Yes. Sort of. It's not that I'm having trouble sleeping, really. It's not like I'm seeing _Hi-"_

"Nope! Stop. That's not what we're talking about now. I already know about the dreams. This is about why you might be having them. So, answer the other questions." Hermione huffed wanting to properly explain the contents but acquiesced.

"You know I don't go out often, or at all, Sam. My friends all have their lives to live. I see them all during the weekdays, anyway. I mean.." She shrugged and finished off the last of her smoothie. "Ginny, Luna, Neville, and I went out for coffee and stuff maybe two weeks ago. I can't really remember specifically."

A paper ball hit the young woman in the head causing her to chuckle. "Whaaaat. I try, okay! It's just, I've got all this work to do, and my parents are preparing to retire soon and want to move, so I have to look into selling their home and with the school expanding and prospective students already coming in for meetings and tours" Her shoulders slumped as she exhaled. "It's all just a lot happening and I don't have the time to waste."

"Listen here young lady, you might be the youngest Headmistress and the smartest witch wizarding London has ever seen in your generation, but to me you are still a child and I need you to slow down and enjoy life. Did you just realise how much of what you said, stressed _ME _out." Both women chuckled briefly. "You need to learn how to relax, sweetheart. You're living your life for others and you need to start living it for yourself. Go out more. Meet some friends. Go on a date. Get laid!" Sam chuckled as she watched Hermione's face burn bright red in embarrassment.

"Take a breather every once in a while 'Mione. Trust me, you'll feel and do better as a result. So, same time, this weekend?" Hermione nodded and smiled as she took her leave. Thoughts about what her therapist meant by 'breather' circled her mind as she made her way back to the school. Groaning at the realisation that she still had Bellatrix to deal with and then a headache inducing meeting, Hermione banged her head into the steering wheel while waiting for the stop light to signal 'GO'.

Somehow, her day started to feel excruciatingly longer than it originally did.

* * *

Hey! So, I've decided to post my other bellamione since I've hit a roadblock in my other one. This doesn't mean that I will be abandoning it. I'll just be using this as a sort of helper to get my mind going again.

Did you guys notice the quote at the beginning? This isn't a song fic but some chapters will start out with lyrics or an original quote from myself. Of course, I will add the sources of the quotes that aren't mine.

Now onto the good stuff, how'd you guys like it? This is new for me, so please be critical if you must. Your comments truly do help and it also cheers me up! So like, see y'all next update!


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hey guys! Long time, huh? How's everyone holding up during this pandemic? Surreal, isn't it?! I hope you're all taking great care of yourselves! Please, enjoy!_

* * *

_Tell me what you want, what you like, _

_It's okay, I'm a little curious too_

_Tell me if it's wrong, if it's right_

_I don't care, I can keep a secret, _

_Can you?_

_Cool For The Summer; Demi Lovato_

"So, would anyone here like to tell me what they know about the Arts of Legilimency and Occlumency?" Bellatrix said as she paced in front of the students. This week she was doing lectures and demonstrations on occlumency. It was always a good trick to teach a magical being. Squibs, although unable to perform legilimency were very capable of occluding their mind, why not give them the opportunity to learn? It was well into the afternoon and with this being her final lecture of the day, the dark witch tried not to let her irritation at the headmistress' absence get to her. Yet again, Bella was taken for some fool and easily forgotten. Looking between the raised hands, the soft opening of her class door alerted her to another party joining them. Without turning to address the late individual, Bellatrix smirked and said "It's nice of you to finally join us, Headmistress. I just hope we aren't taking you away from such busy work you have."

No one in the class dared to actually react to the remark, despite her friendly and calming demeanor, most were silently terrified of the headmistress. Hermione always found it a bit funny, if not annoying when they took it too far. Some of the students were much older than herself, the fear was not needed. Bellatrix however, that woman thrived on the fear of others. Muttering a few expletives under her breath, Hermione grabbed a seat to the left of Bellatrix's desk and summoned a pen and pad to start her evaluation. "Do try and ignore me, everyone. As many of you know, this week is the Professors' evaluation week and so, I'll be watching Professor Black's lecture today. Please treat today's lesson like any other."

"Okay, now that Headmistress Granger is finally here, let's continue! You there, the ginger with the funny looking glasses" said student squeaked in fear at being called on after obviously not raising their hand. Hearing how the woman described the student made Hermione chuckle. "Answer the question" Bella smirked watching as the student started sweating and shaking like a leaf. It was nothing personal but she would have liked to get the show on the road and didn't enjoy having wallflowers for students.

"Ah, yes. Legil-Legilimency is the act of magically navigating through a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings." The student answers. Bella smirks, impressed by that near textbook definition. Hermione tried to hide the slight grimace at the lack of information given. She would've given all the information she knew on the topic. Bella's voice brought her back to focus however, as she continues, "A person who practises this art is known as a Legilimens. Muggles might call this "mind-reading"; the naive beings that they are. It is much more complex than just reading a person's surface thoughts." The dark woman rolls her eyes mockingly and shakes her head in fake pity. Of course, it's no secret how the Black Family feels towards Muggles so the comment surprises no one. "The opposite of Legilimency is Occlumency, which is used to shield one's mind from the invasion and influence of a Legilimens."

Sitting atop her desk, legs crossed, Hermione tries to avoid looking at the muscles in the woman's thighs as they flex in that position. She should be focusing on her teaching, not her body. "You there, what's your name again?" A student from the back of the class raises their head suddenly, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Bella's smirk grew, that's what they get for trying to sleep in her class. "U-um it's Sarah Belby, M-m-miss"

"Am I a bore to you, Sarah?" She asks with a tilt of the head.

Hermione couldn't stop herself from clenching her thighs at Bellatrix's reprimanding tone, as slight as it was. The remnants of her dreams were resurfacing and it wasn't a good thing. Not at this moment. If she wasn't a skilled Occlumens, this lecture would've been terrible for her to observe. Her mind screaming out her desires would have done her in. "N-no ma'-"

"Then why were you sleeping? Ah- don't answer that. I don't actually care. Come girl, tell us about Occlumency."

Bella's mind was preoccupied as well. She'd been sneaking glances at Granger in her peripheral ever since the headmistress entered her room. Barely sparing her a proper glance, she knew it was driving the woman silently mad. She also couldn't help but notice how the young woman looked at her through the lecture. Sure, it's an evaluation and so she _has _to watch her movements and what not, but not like this. Hermione was thinking about something else and Bellatrix wanted to find out what.

"Occlumency is the ability to make one's mind blank and empty — in order to prevent Legilimens from perceiving their emotions and thoughts."

Bellatrix was brought back to the present when she heard Hermione's voice input "More advanced Occlumency involves suppressing only the thoughts, emotions, and memories that would contradict whatever it is an Occlumens wishes a Legilimens to believe, producing a "faux" layer of mentality that can totally throw off the perspective of one who uses Legilimency into thinking that the said layer being the legitimate one whilst its bona fide counterpart lies deeper within; hence, it is not obvious that Occlumency is being used even if the person is lying." The students all looked at their headmistress with rapt interest for her every word. Bella tsked and hopped off her desk to stroll closer to the woman.

"Why thank you for teaching my lecture, Headmistress. Shall I continue now or do you feel the need to take over for me, since you know so much?" Hermione glared at the older woman

before shaking her head in disagreement indicating for the older woman to continue.

"The Headmistress is correct. Although useful, Occlumency is not well researched nor studied and so there comes great obstacles in deciphering the legitimacy of a person's thoughts. Not many practice it and even fewer can master it. It requires a great deal of willpower, as with resisting the Imperius Curse, as well as a high degree of mental and emotional discipline. For instance, if I didn't choose to, I could hear every single one of you all's thoughts without much effort." She cackles at the gasps and ashen faces of students.

A couple hands shot up within the class. Many wanted to see it demonstrated. Bella didn't really want to look into any of the students' minds. Hermione was looking on, the pen still moving on her notepad. 'She must have charmed the pen to move with her thoughts, tricky and difficult magic' Bella thought. She was a bit impressed but from what she's heard of the Golden Girl, the surprise was to be expected. That's when the idea came to her. Hermione felt a sudden wave of wariness come over her as she watched Professor Black smile widely to the class.

Turning towards the headmistress, Bella asked "would you like to partake in this demonstration with me, headmistress? Considering I'm a world renown Occlumens, I'd say that I should be the Legilimens and you the Occlumens in this situation?"

Bellatrix was excited now. This was the perfect excuse to see what's been on this woman's mind since she entered her classroom. Hermione chuckled lowly so only she and the professor could hear. It wasn't public knowledge but Hermione herself was also a renowned Occlumens. She wouldn't have survived her final years at Hogwarts if she didn't become one. Trained by the greatest wizard alive, Albus Dumbledore himself, her skill stood among some of the best. Namely, Severus Snape and the very same Bellatrix Black.

Seeing this as an opportunity to play around with the dark woman's ego, she accepted the offer. This should be easier than anything else, Hermione's just gonna throw some false memories at the woman while keeping her emotional state blank. She jumps at the sudden cackle ringing throughout the classroom.

Bellatrix was excited! She'd gotten Hermione right where she wanted her. "Okay! So, class, what would you like me to look for within our lovely headmistress' head? No, I will not check anyone's grades for them either. Be creative! I wanna have fun here as well, you know." Bella watched with unrestrained glee as her students spoke among themselves about what they wanted to know about their headmistress.

So, the students settled on the memory of a young seemingly normal muggle born learning that she was a witch and choosing to attend Hogwarts. The details of the memory were not completely known, for reasons she never really brought herself to fully ask, even now as an adult, she recalls having Minerva McGonagall deliver the news to her. She remembers asking other muggle borns what their reactions to receiving the acceptance letter was like and couldn't miss the slight detail of their notice not coming with its own witch or wizard to explain things. It was no wonder the young woman was so informed upon boarding the Hogwarts Express that very first day.

The memory was a simple one. A favorite, and so structuring her shield to allow it to be detected easily by Bellatrix would be of no issue to Hermione. Writing the memory down, scene by scene, she hands it to a student near the front of the class. Withdrawing her wand, she silently places the tip to her temple and withdraws a copy of the memory as well. Despite being a mere lecture, the headmistress would like a thorough demonstration and without the use of veritaserum, they've got to verify the legitimacy somehow.

"Alright! Is everyone prepared? You there, got the written memory right? How about you with the freckles? Got the memory strand for the pensieve? Okay, let's do this Headmistress." Hermione watched as Bellatrix strutted towards her as if she was stalking prey. On second thought, that was exactly what she was doing. Hermione took a deep breath and exhaled clearing her mind of all thoughts Bellatrix.

"Ready, pet?" The other woman whispered as she led her wand to the Headmistress' temple. Conjuring her mind's defenses, Hermione exhaled another breath and closed her eyes. "Legilimens" the professor whispered as she was thrusted into the woman's head.

_Appearing in an open field, an ethereal of Bellatrix materialized in front of the entrance of a garden maze. Before her stood hedges meters tall, that seemed to twist and turn in various directions. What caught the woman's interest however was the looming castle that appeared to sit at the center of the maze. Compared to the greenery around her, Bellatrix noted how the outer frame was not made of wood or stone but instead iron. Hermione had created her own iron fortress in order to guard her mind. Bellatrix felt a rush run through her ethereal form at the idea of what the young woman could possibly be hiding to have built such strong defenses. Looking left and right, Bella noticed that the maze in front of her had no actual opening. 'You know Granger, for this to work, you do have to let me in. Unless you'd like me to force my w—' As if hearing her thoughts, the hedge in front of Bellatrix lowered, offering enough room for her to slip in. _

_Once beyond the entrance, Bellatrix followed the single pathway to an opening that spiraled off into five different sections. None of the pathways, the woman noted were labeled and so she huffed in annoyance knowing that Hermione was purposefully making this difficult for her. The young witch was fully aware of Bellatrix's presence and was going to have as much fun as she possibly could within the only place she felt the safest. _

_Wanting to take whichever pathway that would lead her to the iron fortress, Bella stuck to the one in the middle deducing that whatever memories were in the maze itself held very little importance to the girl and that the one she was in search of would be located within the castle along with even more important memories and thoughts Bellatrix was looking forward to catching a peek of._

_Making quick work of the twists and turns along the path, Bellatrix hardly spared a second glance at the many memories that came rushing out at her from the hedges themselves. Almost as if Hermione was conjuring them up in order to deter her from getting to where she was needed. Picking up speed into a light jog, Bellatrix sped through the maze wanting to get the games out of the way. As fun as it was being in the young woman's head, this was a demonstration after all and she needed to be in and out as quickly as possible._

_Coming to an abrupt stop in front of solid iron doors, Bellatrix giggled and jokingly knocked on them waiting to be let in. To her surprise, the doors did not open but instead evaporated as if they were just an illusion. Rushing past it, Bellatrix sauntered past doors with actual labels on them. Some were labeled 'My first day at primary school', 'My first crush', 'My House Sorting', and such. Turning a corner, there was one door that automatically swung open as she approached. Reading the label, it was the memory she came in search for. 'My Hogwarts Acceptance'. _

_**Bellatrix stood outside what appeared to be a quaint muggle town home. There, waiting, seemed to be one Professor Mcgonagall at its entrance. Seconds later, a bushy haired child opened the door, eyes wide as saucers at the strange lady wearing a witch's hat. Kneeling, Minerva smiled at the young Hermione and introduced herself "Hello there, Hermione. Are your parents home?" Bellatrix chuckled as a look of confusion passed over the muggle-born's face. "How do you know my name?" Minerva stood up straighter as Hermione's father approached the two at the door. "Hello, but who are you?"**_

"_**Ah, Mister Granger I presume?" the man nodded hesitatingly while the older witch continued. "My name is Minerva McGonagall with news about your daughter, Hermione Granger. Is there any way I could come inside and have a talk with you and your wife?" Still confused. Mister Granger nodded his head and stepped aside for the woman to enter. "Sure thing, come in and have a seat while my wife brings out some tea." Bellatrix at this point was bored. 'So what if the little swot received her Hogwarts letter by McGonagall, was there anything truly special about that?' Turning around, Bellatrix exited the memory in search of something more interesting. **_

_Back into the hallway, Bellatrix watched as the door to that memory swung shut with a force to make the whole fortress shake. Not really caring, the woman made her way deeper in search not for memories but more so the young witch's thoughts and fantasies. Cackling softly, she brushed off the vine like tendrils that started appearing the further she went, as if Hermione herself was trying to extract her from the building. 'Don't worry kitten. Just a little peek. Bella promises not to tell your dirty little secrets' _

_Floor by floor, Bellatrix glanced around in no particular fashion. She wasn't really sure what she'd stumble across but one thing she did know was that for Granger to have such a complex system in place to guard her mind, there surely are some things she's trying to desperately hide. Oh, how Bella wanted to know what those things were. Once again, vines found themselves wound around her legs in a tight grip as the woman approached an arched doorway. On first glance, one could tell that it was different from all the other doors in this fortress. It was made out of the same iron that produced the foundation for the fortress. This door also had no handle or keyhole, so there was no actual telling how to get in. Hermione either made it so or her mind took it upon itself to seal whatever it is behind this door. Shrugging, Bellatrix simply took a deep breath and pushed herself forward through the door. A bit of mental strain on her part since the door would just not budge. At this point the vines grew thorns and tightened their hold on her legs and were making their way up her body. Giving one more big push, Bella cackled as she made it past the mental barrier and entered the room. _

_Gasping, Bellatrix stood, speechless at what she was seeing before her eyes. This made absolutely no sense to her right now. 'Was this a nightmare of hers? Is that me?!' Before she was able to fully comprehend all that was happening in front of her, Bellatrix felt herself painfully thrusted out of the young woman's mind. _

The students observing the interaction between their professor and Headmistress jumped as they watched the older woman suddenly fly back into the wall across the room. They watched as the Headmistress turned red and grasped her wand tightly. "I told you to leave, Bellatrix. Why did I even trust you to view that memory and nothing else?! I should obliviate you for what you saw."

Hearing gasps, Hermione was brought back to her surroundings. Remembering that this was supposed to be a demonstration for Black's class, the young woman sighed and placed her wand back into its holster. Gathering her things she turned to the class and said "Sorry about that, everyone. It seems this demonstration didn't go as planned. As you can see, some people can use this ability to violate your privacy even if you give them consent. Not everyone is capable of detecting highly skilled legilimens. If I wasn't skilled myself, I wouldn't have felt Miss Black overstepping boundaries as I allowed her to view the given memory for this demonstration. Seeing as I responded a bit too harshly and lashed out while she was unaware, I'll go ahead and dismiss this lecture a bit early. Have a good rest of your day, students. Can someone stay behind and notify Miss Black of a mandatory meeting with me tomorrow once she's recovered."

Not waiting for a response, Hermione exited the lecture hall. Rubbing at her temples, Hermione groaned as she felt a headache come on. She had only half a mind to postpone this evening's Board Meeting. If only for her own sanity. Sure, Bellatrix wasn't on the Board but there were three other Blacks who were and the young woman just couldn't be bothered at the moment. 'A warm bath, a hearty dinner and wine would be amazing right now', Hermione thought to herself as she made it to her office.

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A/N:So, I didn't like this chapter but that's okay. I'm experimenting pretty early with the idea of legilimency and its intricacies. I have ideas involving it further into the story and this chapter was sort of practice for that. I hope you guys liked it, either way. I promise I have not abandoned any of my stories. Thank you to the dedicated readers and the new ones as well. I look forward to getting the next chapter to you guys as soon as possible. I'll also be updating the tags as needed.


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